A NEW LENS: Joe Zee's arrival at Elle as creative director has ushered in a fresh look, while longtime creative head Gilles Bensimon's involvement in the magazine has gradually subsided. But the April edition will issue in a major sea change — Bensimon, who has shot the covers for Elle for more than 20 years, did not shoot them for the April and May issues. In fact, Bensimon's work is nowhere to be found in either issue.

April's cover with Natalie Portman was shot by Carter Smith, who worked with Zee at W and Vitals. Smith also recently directed a horror film for Dreamworks, "The Ruins," and shot the movie's actresses, Jena Malone and Laura Ramsey, for the magazine's March issue. For May, Tom Munro was dispatched to shoot Madonna in Los Angeles; the issue will hit as her new album is released.

Bensimon's visibility at Elle in the U.S. has diminished since Zee joined the title in March, and his contract with the magazine expires at the end of the year. Until then, he is expected to continue shooting covers and fashion spreads for the international editions (his official title is international creative director), and sources close to Elle say he may shoot a few more covers for the U.S. edition before his contract ends in December. Meanwhile, Bensimon has shot advertising campaigns for Sears, Kmart, J.C. Penney, and Iconix that are to break in fashion magazines this spring. — Stephanie D. Smith

FIRST MONROE, NOW MINOGUE: Paper Magazine held a lunch in the ballroom of the newly renovated Sunset Marquis Tuesday afternoon to celebrate its current cover girl, Lindsay Lohan, who was shot by Jeremy Scott. Lohan, back to her natural red hair and sporting her current favorite Marni pumps, was abuzz about the upcoming album she is planning to record in New York for Motown Records. "I'm recording it over the next few months, we don't know the release date yet, but it will have a very Kylie Minogue vibe, with great beats and dance singles," she said. While Lohan and Scott won't be attending any shows during the upcoming Los Angeles Fashion Week, they were both fresh off flights from Europe, where Lohan attended Dolce & Gabbana and Scott showed in Paris. It's rumored he may also present in L.A., an event for which Lohan promised to show up. — Hellin Kay